Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) had its price target raised by investment analysts at Barclays from $90.00 to $98.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the retailer’s stock. Barclays‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 5.34% from the stock’s previous close.

WMT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Walmart from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their price target on Walmart from $81.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.08.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $93.03 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $747.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.18, a PEG ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $90.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart has a 12 month low of $53.39 and a 12 month high of $96.18.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total transaction of $1,088,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 593,040 shares in the company, valued at $49,198,598.40. This trade represents a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This trade represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 140,412 shares of company stock worth $12,478,116. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.1% in the second quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 119,625 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,100,000 after acquiring an additional 3,556 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 58.5% during the second quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,901,459 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $196,458,000 after buying an additional 1,070,943 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 31.0% in the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 39,517 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,676,000 after buying an additional 9,347 shares in the last quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 4.0% during the second quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 856,406 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $57,987,000 after acquiring an additional 32,880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NINE MASTS CAPITAL Ltd purchased a new position in Walmart during the second quarter valued at $217,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.